Topic Of The Day:-“Tightening grip: on Hungary PM’s re-election”
Hungarian voters have handed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a third term in office. In Sunday’s election, his right-wing Fidesz party and its Christian Democrat allies won around half the vote and two-thirds of the seats. This will give Mr. Orbán, who revels in his hyper-nationalist strongman image, the super-majority he needs to further tighten his grip on Hungary. The nationalist Jobbik party came in second with 20% of the vote, making it the principal opposition, with the Socialists getting 12% and the Green Party 7%. Though a high turnout of about 70% was expected to help the Opposition, the electoral process has been questionable. The technical administration of the elections was transparent and there was a wide range of candidates to choose from. But critics say the playing field was not fair, given media bias, a blurry line between party and government resources, and ‘intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric’. Over his previous terms Mr. Orbán had anointed himself as a spokesperson for ‘Christian Europe’, protecting it from what he sees as Islamisation — his campaign included posters of a stop sign superimposed on to an image of migrants walking across Europe. It is therefore not surprising that Fidesz performed strongly in small towns and rural areas, where Mr. Orbán’s anti-migrant message rang out the loudest. Over the last few years, as millions of migrants found their way to Europe, Mr. Orbán did not stop at just rhetoric. He refused to participate in the EU’s migrant resettlement plan and built a fence on Hungary’s boundary with Serbia and Croatia to keep them out. He has also portrayed Hungary as a country at risk from foreign agents and has been accused of anti-Semitism. In a move seen as a bid to contain Hungarian-born Jewish American philanthropist George Soros’s work, Mr. Orbán introduced new funding laws for NGOs and passed a bill that would impact Mr. Soros’s Central European University. This is in addition to imposing controls on the media and tampering with the judicial system. A third term for Fidesz has implications not just for Hungary but for all of Europe. It is likely to polarise Western and Central European countries, which are wary of Brussels and want to see a directional change for Europe, closing it to migrants. In the European Parliament, the Fidesz is part of the largest party, the European People’s Party, a grouping of mostly centre-right parties that includes Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats; Mr Orbán’s victory could change the dynamics in this group, pulling some or all within it further right. Brussels has greeted the results with caution. But not all of Europe is worried; far-right leaders in France and Germany were quick to congratulate Mr. Orbán and see in his victory a shot in the arm for their ideologies.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Prevailed
Meaning: Be widespread or current in a particular area or at a particular time.
Example: “a friendly atmosphere prevailed among the crowds”
Synonyms: Exist, Obtain
2) Conceived
Meaning: To invent a plan or an idea.
Example: He conceived the plot for this film while he was still a student.
Synonyms: Invent, Create
3) Surreptitiously
Meaning: In a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively.
Example: “Mary surreptitiously slipped from the room”
4) Throttling
Meaning: To prevent something from succeeding.
Example: The reduction in funds is throttling the development of new programmes.
5) Dietary
Meaning: Relating to or provided.
Example: “dietary advice for healthy skin and hair”
6) Cumbersome
Meaning: Slow or complicated and therefore inefficient.
Example: “organizations with cumbersome hierarchical structures”
Synonyms: Complicated, Complex
Antonyms: Straightforward, Efficient
7) Lairage
Meaning: A place where cattle or sheep may be rested on the way to market or slaughter.
8) Vicinity
Meaning: The area near or surrounding a particular place.
Example: “the number of people living in the immediate vicinity was small”
Synonyms: Locality, Sector
9) Barring
Meaning: Except for; if not for.
Example: “barring accidents, we should win”
Synonyms: Excepting, Excluding
10) Cruelty
Meaning: Cruel behaviour or attitudes.
Example: “he has treated her with extreme cruelty”
Synonyms: Brutality, Ferocity
Antonyms: Compassion, Mercy
11) Stridently
Meaning: In an extremely forceful way.
Example: “I stridently opposed the policies of the government”
12) Nation-wide
Meaning: Throughout the whole nation.
Example: “a nationwide hunt”
Synonyms: National, General
13) Non-starter
Meaning: An idea, plan, or person with no chance of success.
Example: The proposal was a non-starter from the beginning because there was no possibility of funding.
14) Predominantly
Meaning: Mainly; for the most part.
Example: “it is predominantly a coastal bird”
Synonyms: Mainly, Mostly
15) Impression
Meaning: An idea or opinion of what something or someone is like.
Example: “his first impressions of Manchester were very positive”
Synonyms: Feeling, Sense
16) Guise
Meaning: An external form, appearance, or manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something.
Example: “he visited in the guise of an inspector”
Synonyms: Likeness, Semblance
17) Setback
Meaning: A reversal or check in progress.
Example: “a serious setback for the peace process”
Synonyms: Problem, Difficulty
Antonyms: Breakthrough
18) Tendency
Meaning: An inclination towards a particular characteristic or type of behaviour.
Example: “for students, there is a tendency to socialize in the evenings”
Synonyms: Propensity, Proclivity
19) Perceptions
Meaning: A belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem.
Example: We have to change the public’s perception that money is being wasted.
20) Sectarianism
Meaning: (a person) strongly supporting a particular religious group and not willing to accept other beliefs.
Example: He called on terrorists on both sides of the sectarian divide to end the cycle of violence.
Synonyms: Followers
21) Turnout
Meaning: The number of people who vote in an election.
Example: Voter turnout was high.
22) Transparent
Meaning: (of an organization or its activities) open to public scrutiny.
Example: “if you had transparent government procurement, corruption would go away”
Synonyms: Frank, Open
23) Blurry
Meaning: Not clearly or distinctly visible or audible.
Example: “video projectors provided extremely blurry images”
Synonyms: Not Clear
24) Xenophobic
Meaning: Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
Example: “xenophobic attitudes”
Synonyms: Racist, Ethnocentric
25) Anointed
Meaning: To make someone king or queen, especially as part of a religious ceremony.
Example: In 751 Pepin was anointed king.
26) Superimposed
Meaning: Place or lay (one thing) over another, typically so that both are still evident.
Example: “the number will appear on the screen, superimposed on a flashing button”